Denver and the West

Denver Digs Trees final season sale takes root in City Park

Bill Bessesen, a volunteer with Denver Digs Trees, puts mulch on some of the 28 trees remaining to be sold. The Denver Digs Trees program helps residents cultivate a greener, healthier, more livable urban environment. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

Rita Levine says she gives trees as gifts for a pretty simple reason: They are better than a bouquet of flowers.

"Trees will live on for generations to come, which makes them meaningful to people," said Levine, a Denver resident.

Levine bought eight saplings from the Park People on Sunday at the City Park Greenhouse during the final Denver Digs Trees sale of the season.

There were about 40 trees for sale, including Radiant Crabapple, Northern Catalpa, Imperial Honeylocust, Village Green Japanese Zelkova and the Kentucky Coffee Tree.

"We're hoping they'll all be gone by the end of the day," said Bill Bessesen, a volunteer.

The Park People organization works to preserve and enhance Denver's parks and open spaces by raising funds for projects through programs such as Denver Digs Trees, Mile High Tree Champions and Community Forester, according to its website.

The sale was underway by 10 a.m., but people were arriving beforehand, said Judy Anderson, a volunteer.

There had already been 12 saplings sold, she said.

Levine was purchasing the trees as gifts for different events, which included a wedding anniversary and memorials, she said.

"People are very excited to get them and are touched by the idea," Levine said.

The notion of a tree living well past their existence takes on a special philosophical meaning for some people, Levine said.

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Leftover saplings from the event were to be given away to parks-and-recreation employees, Bessesen said.

The addition of new trees, especially in Denver, has been greatly supported by city officials.

During his 2006 State of the City address, Gov. John Hickenlooper, then mayor, announced the Mile High Million tree- planting program with the goal of adding 1 million new trees in metropolitan Denver by 2025.

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